Issue link: http://psai.uberflip.com/i/1346654
ASSOCIATIONINSIGHT Portable Sanitation Association International News BIWEEKLY EDITION MARCH 3, 2021 Page 19 Report Provides Benchmarks for Portable Sanitation…continued from page 18 The lack of personnel will be complicated by the increase in retirements by older drivers, the low number of women in the driving workforce, and an increase in positive drug/alcohol tests. 2 The American Trucking Associations (ATA) estimated that the driver shortage was nearly 61,000 at the end of 2018, and if current trends continue, the shortage could grow over 160,000 drivers by 2028. 3 This number may need to be revised post-COVID, but it is fair to say that the problem isn't going away. As if the current shortage weren't bad enough, the trucking industry has had a hard time attracting new drivers. As far back as 2014, an ATRI study on demographic trends suggested that the trucking industry was not attracting young drivers to replace aging baby boomers. 4 A more recent ATRI analysis finds that the trucking industry has the lowest percentage of young entrants and the highest percentage of aging workforce entrants in the US. 5 With 55.3 percent of trucking's workforce older than 45, and less than five percent of drivers in the 20 –24-year-old age range, the driver shortage will continue to worsen as older drivers approach retirement. Together, these two factors create a severe strain on nearly all companies as they struggle to fill their ranks with qualified drivers. Driver Wages, Benefits, and Bonuses As mentioned earlier, driver wages and benefits have increased over the past five years. Employers need to attract and retain qualified drivers, and compensate them for detention times, traffic congestion, and regulations that negatively impact an over-the-road driver's income. According to the ATRI study, wages and benefits are currently at 69.3 cents per mile—an increase since 2014 on par with increases for workers overall, but a drop from 2018. Drivers and other personnel in the portable sanitation industry are paid differently than over-the-road truckers, and the wage picture between 2018 and 2019 presents a mixed picture. Mean wages in our industry went up across the board, ranging between 8.5 percent for drivers with a CDL and 11.9 percent for general laborers and yard staff. By any measure that would be a hefty increase for just one year—but it doesn't tell the whole story. 2 See https://www.trucker.com/drivers/article/21146314/driver-issues-top-atris-list-for-2020 3 Costello, Bob and Alan Karickhoff. "Truck Driver Shortage Analysis 2019." American Trucking Associations. July 2019 4 Short, Jeffrey. "Analysis of Truck Driver Age Demographics Across Two Decades." American Transportation Research Institute. Arlington, VA. December 2014. 5 "Employed persons by detailed industry, sex, and age, Annual Average 2018" U.S. Census Bureau—Current Population Survey. Earnings by Position 2018 2019 Change Mean/Hour Mean/Year Mean/Hour Mean/Year General Laborer/Yard Staff $13.59 $17.07 $15.62 $31,630 11.9% Septic Tank Servicers and Portable Sanitation Techs $17.90 $10.45 $10.21 $40,970 10.1% Truck Drivers (CDL) $20.11 $6.72 $5.62 $45,360 8.5% 2018 2019 Change Median/Hour Median/Year Median/Hour Median/Year General Laborer/Yard Staff $14.86 $30,900 $13.98 $29,090 -5.9% Septic Tank Servicers and Portable Sanitation Techs $19.03 $39,570 $18.36 $38,180 -3.5% Truck Drivers (CDL) $21.13 $43,950 $20.99 $43,650 -0.7% Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics Continued on page 20